In the Toronto Marlies weight room at what’s now the Coca-Cola Coliseum there’s a large poster on the wall visible to all the players, staff and media. Its message is simple, but an important one. It explains the concept of the aggregation of marginal gains, which is a fancy way of saying “if you just do a little bit more, or a little bit less, those things compound and you’ll end up further in that direction than you’d have ever believed.”

It looks like this:

In the hyper-competitive world of pro sports, there’s basically no more relevant message. We constantly hear about guys like Patrick Marleau who’s defied the odds by being able to be healthy and still contributing in his late 30s. We also hear about how he takes care of himself, whether it be with nutrition, in the gym or with rest. Longevity and self-care tend to go hand-in-hand.

Similarly, there are no shortage of stories about players with high ceilings that flame out, much to the...